The Sheriff of Nottingham
by TheNewIdea
Summary: There are many tales of the legendary Robin Hood and his Merry Men. All of them have been told before. Save one. This is the story of the Sheriff of Nottingham and his adventures throughout England as he proves to himself and everyone else that he too can be a hero. Rated T for language, elements of Christianity, violence and romantic drama.
1. Chapter 1

**Character incarnations are taken from the 1973 Disney film, however some of the characters, specifically personality traits (and only that of the Sheriff of Nottingham) have been taken from the original stories.**

**This is not an historically accurate story, it is a work of fiction and should be treated as such. **

**Anselm of Canterbury was Archbishop of Canterbury during the late 10th and early 11th Centuries.**

There are many tales about the legendary Robin Hood, just as there are many tales of other famous English heroes like that of King Arthur and Merlin the Wizard.

In the world of Disney, a Robin Wood exists, just as a King Arthur and a Merlin exist. And like their human counterparts, they are said to have many adventures and escapades. These stories have all been told before. Save one.

It is a story that cannot be known or understood in the human world and known only in the world of Disney for those who have eyes to see, it begins somewhere in the 12th or 13th century England in the small village of Nottingham...

The Sheriff of Nottingham, a wolf, in a nice English soldier's uniform with red coat, brown knickers, black boots, white cuff links, a button up white shirt whose top three buttons were left undone showing a bit of fur with a tricorne on his head, was walking through town heading towards the church. On his way he came across a house that he knew to belong to a family of rabbits.

The house was rather crude in nature, made of mud and sticks. There was but a single window, to the left of the door. The roof of the house was made of hay, held in place by rough looking wood cut from nearby trees. On the back left corner of the building was a chimney, this was made entirely out of various wood pieces.

Knocking on the door, The Sheriff could hear the shuffling of feet scramble to the back of the house in fear. The Sheriff groaned to himself, for he was only doing his job and taxes had to be collected somehow. It wasn't his business on what King John did with the money; the only thing that The Sheriff was concerned with was making sure that the King got it.

The Sheriff pulled his sword and gently tapped on the door, "Come on out Mr. Gunderson" he said, playing the nice card for now, "I just wanna talk with yah nothing more, nothing less."

The door opened and revealed Mrs. Gunderson, the lady of the house, who was dressed in her Sunday dress, it was blue with flowers. In her hand, Gunderson also had a yellow parcel.

The Sheriff, being a gentlemen, removed his hat and bowed, "Morning ma'am" he said with his wolfish grin, "Is Mr. Gunderson home? There some things we need to discuss."

Mrs. Gunderson huffed, "My husband is dead" she stated sharply as if she were insulted, "The winter took him, along with all our crops and most of our cattle."

The Sheriff straightened at this and remained where he was; he nodded and turned away.

"Aren't you going to collect what little I have?" Mrs. Gunderson asked, "You've taken everything else."

The Sheriff looked up towards the sky, "Will you have it by tomorrow?"

Mrs. Gunderson stepped forward a bit, her ears raised to hear him better. The Sheriff repeated his question.

"There's no way I could have it by then!" Mrs. Gunderson exclaimed, "Please Sheriff, have mercy on me!"

The Sheriff raised his sword, turned around and aimed it at Mrs. Gunderson's throat.

"I am showing mercy!" The Sheriff screamed, "Either have it by tomorrow or so help me I will kill you, just like I did those bastard children of yours!"

Mrs. Gunderson raised her head bravely, "Why don't you do it now?" she asked, "Go ahead, kill me Sheriff, kill me and be done with it."

The Sheriff sighed; it was deep and almost regretful. "I can't do that" he replied, "Not on the Lord's Day. Today is a free day, a holy day and a happy day. Enjoy it Mrs. Gunderson, for it very well may be your last."

Mrs. Gunderson closed her eyes and waited patiently for The Sheriff to run her through. The Sheriff laughed to himself, sheathed his sword and gently kissed Mrs. Gunderson's forehead before leaving. Mrs. Gunderson still had her eyes closed, her whiskers twitched a bit as she opened her eyes and found herself alive and a notice of payment ripped up in the street.

The Sheriff continued down the road, he was softly crying to himself at what he had done. If King John found out that he had ripped up an order there was no doubt in his mind that he would be executed.

"Fortunately" The Sheriff said to himself, "Mrs. Gunderson isn't a blabber mouth like her husband. She'll keep it hush-hush for sure."

The Sheriff looked to his right and saw nailed to a tree, an arrest warrant for Robin Hood and Little John, the ringleaders of the Merry Men. The Sheriff thought about everything that Robin and Little John did, in many ways he considered them heroes of the people, but at the same time he recognized the crime of thievery against the monarchy. No matter his principles, The Sheriff would abide by the laws of King John, if Robin Hood was branded a criminal, then he deserved a criminal's death.

Walking up to the church, an old stone building with two cracked windows on each side, a poor wooden door in the center and a steeple on top of the roof, The Sheriff felt a sense of uneasiness, for what he was doing was nothing short of thievery in the eyes of God, for the taxes were extremely high. The Sheriff himself found it difficult to pay them, for even he had to bow down to the will of King John. But still, The Sheriff was a King's Wolf and did his best to keep these thoughts out of his mind; he had to, in order to do his job.

Friar Tuck, a badger, was out in the back of the church tending to his bees when The Sheriff knocked on the front door. "Good Morning Friar!" The Sheriff yelled, "Fine morning for a service isn't it?" At the sound of The Sheriff's voice, Friar Tuck bolted from the yard and into the woods.

"Damn" The Sheriff said to himself as he heard Friar run off, "Almost...but not today."

The Sheriff, having nothing else to do for that morning entered the church, taking off his tricorne as he did so, his neatly combed fur on the top of his head showing. The church was very typical, two columns of pews, five on each side. In the front was a pulpit, on which a candelabrum was placed, its yellow glow giving a sense of warmth and tranquility that at the moment, only The Sheriff basked in.

Walking up to the pulpit, The Sheriff bowed his head, knelt down on the ground, closed his eyes, lifted his dusty paws and began to pray.

"I know that I haven't been all that great. I've robbed from the poor and given to the rich, I've stolen horses and killed plenty of good, honest, hard working people- all in the name of His Royal Highness King John. I ask that you pity me, The Sheriff of Nottingham, and grant me forgiveness and pardon for my actions, Oh Mighty God."

A small disgruntled laugh could be heard from the rafters of the church. The Sheriff stood and drew his sword, slowly pacing around the room. He heard and saw nothing. The Sheriff huffed and saw the offerings box that was nailed to the wall. The Sheriff put his tricorne on his head and walked over to the box and revealed it of its contents before walking out of the church.

"I am nothing short of a murderer" The Sheriff said to himself, "By taking gold that belongs to the church I have become not a King's Wolf but a common thief with no code of honor. I would be better off taking my chances in the Forest than to live among people! But still, His Majesty must have his way, taxes must be collected one way or another, and I'll be damned if I'm going to loosen my own pockets."

* * *

Friar Tuck ran through the woods as fast as he was able, it wasn't long before he found himself in the heart of Sherwood Forest at Robin Hood's camp.

Little John, a bear and Robin Hood's best friend and right hand man, was sitting by the cooking fire when Friar Tuck came up, sweating profusely and screaming his head off. Little John thought that the world was ending.

"Take it easy there Tuck" Little John said trying to calm the badger down, "Stop that yapping and start making sense before I cat yah!"

Friar Tuck, having no interest in being whipped, nodded and gave his explanation, "The Sheriff of Nottingham!" he cried, "He's...collecting!"

Little John shook his head, "Damn that wolf. Collecting on the Lord's Day, I tell you Friar that wolf has no honor at all. Calls himself a King's Wolf, ha! If he really were a King's Wolf he'd have already done away with King John and that ridiculous jester of his, Hiss."

Friar Tuck made the sign of the cross, Little John then reared back, "In the name of the Father" Tuck began, "Forgive Little John of his curses and his sins."

"Amen" Little John exclaimed reverently, before picking up his sword, his bow and his quiver.

"Where are you going?" Friar Tuck asked curiously

"I'm going to set this right" Little John answered, "It's about time that The Sheriff answered for his crimes."

Little John then headed into the woods towards Nottingham, Friar Tuck prayed for Little John's soul and rebuked his actions in the name of God. He then sat down at the fire to warm himself and to wait for Robin Hood.

* * *

The Sheriff of Nottingham made his way to the bar, The Brawny Mug. At the door Trigger, a buzzard dressed in chain mail, was waiting for him.

"Morning sir" Trigger said happily as he saluted The Sheriff, "And how are we this morning?"

The Sheriff laughed sarcastically, "I've been better Trigger" he replied, "I tell you every day it's getting harder and harder. I don't know how much more I can do this."

Trigger blew The Sheriff off, "Come now, you're being too hard on yourself! You're the best Sheriff that this town has ever had, why if it wasn't for you all of Nottingham would've been under Robin Hood. And goodness knows no one wants that!"

The Sheriff smiled at Trigger's personality, for he always found a way to get him to laugh. "Trigger if everyone had your personality the world would be a better place. Thanks for always knowing the right things to say."

Trigger opened the door to the bar, "Ah, don't mention it sir, it's what I'm here for...By the way, you look rather handsome today sir, what's the occasion?"

The Sheriff's smile grew bigger, "Maid Marion" he answered, "I'm goanna ask her to marry me"

Trigger's eyes grew wide at this, "But sir, isn't she Robin Hood's fiancee?"

The Sheriff huffed, "Robin Hood's been gone for almost 8 years Trigger. He went with Richard back to the Crusades remember? He's never coming back."

"I wouldn't be so sure of that sir, remember the last time?"

The Sheriff scowled, "Yes" he growled, "I remember the last time. But this time it's different, damn it. Besides, I think Marion's actually interested in me."

The Sheriff and Trigger walked through the door. The Brawny Mug was standard for the time, eight tables scattered the floor, each table was surrounded by four wooden chairs. The bar area in the right corner of the room was full of stock, ten stools were at the bar, eight of them were full.

As soon as The Sheriff and Trigger entered the bar, the room fell silent. The bartender, who was a rhino, pulled out a spear and aimed it at The Sheriff's throat.

"What do you want Thomas?" the bartender asked with a grunt, "You come to extort more from me? Take my hard earned money!"

The Sheriff shook his head rapidly, terrified at the sight of the spear, "No Mr. McDowell I haven't. I'm not here for business, just drink. Is that going to be a problem?"

Mr. McDowell lowered the spear slowly, his eyes firmed locked on The Sheriff's movements. Trigger nervously began molting, The Sheriff stepped up to the counter and order a straight whiskey, Trigger had The Brawny Mug special, a beer mixed with whiskey and a dash of rum.

They sat and drank for a total of twenty minutes, The Sheriff had three whiskeys and a Special, Trigger only had the Special and a glass of water the rest of the time.

Little John entered the bar, bow notched with an arrow, aimed directly at The Sheriff.

"Sheriff of Nottingham!" Little John cried, "You are under arrest for high treason, fraud, money laundering, conspiracy to commit murder, attempted rape, assault and battery, disturbing the peace, the execution 20 of the King's Royal Guard, arson and jaywalking. How do you plead?"

The Sheriff turned around and faced Little John, "In the words of Anselm of Canterbury, "Thus you are just not because you give what is owed, but because you do what is appropriate to you as the highest good.""

Little John raised his eyebrows at this, he still however maintained his ground, "What the hell does that mean Sheriff?"

"Please Little John, it's Thomas" The Sheriff answered, "The Honorable Sheriff Thomas Wolfe of Nottingham."

Little John laughed at this, "That's your name! Thomas Wolf? That's ridiculous!"

The Sheriff groaned, "It's Wolfe you idiot, with an E! Now are you going to shoot me or are you going to stand there and flap your mouth?"

Little John shrugged and fired, The Sheriff pulled his sword and blocked Little John's arrow, causing it to stray in the corner of the bar.

"Where did you learn that?" Little John asked rather casually as he dropped his bow and pulled his out his sword

"Let's say that Robin Hood isn't the only one who was born and raised in Sherwood" The Sheriff replied with a flash of his fangs and the sharpening of his claws. "Are you sure you want to do this?" The Sheriff asked, hoping that Little John would back down, for he had no wish to fight on a Sunday.

Little John rotated his sword in his hand playfully, signifying that he was ready.

The Sheriff nodded solemnly and hung his head for a moment. He gave a short prayer and rushed Little John.


	2. Chapter 2

Little John landed in the mud with a large gash above his right eye and several smaller cuts in his tunic, the wounds going into his skin and making the bear wince in pain. The Sheriff of Nottingham was standing over him. As soon as Little John was down, The Sheriff stuck his sword in the ground and took a knee as if were a Knight at the Round Table and said a short prayer. He then stood up and extended a helping hand to Little John, who refused and stood on his own two feet.

"What's the big idea Sheriff?" Little John asked, "You attack me and then you're helping me?"

The Sheriff rolled his eyes and sheathed his sword, "By the order of King John of England, you are under arrest for the crime of thievery, attacking an officer of the law and disturbing the peace. How do you plead?" The Sheriff gave a devilish smile, satisfied that he gave Little John a taste of what he had given him earlier.

"What do you think?" Little John answered, "Guilty of course"

The Sheriff scratched his head at this, "You're pleading guilty?"

"Yeah I am" Little John said matter-of-factly, "Does this bother you?"

The Sheriff shook his head and got his thoughts in order. Little John shook his head at this and lifted his hands towards the Sheriff to allow him to tie him up. Trigger appeared with a rope and handed it to The Sheriff.

The Sheriff stared at Little John for several seconds, the wolf then tied the bear by his hands and feet, threw him on his back and carried Little John the long trek to the Forest. Neither of them said anything, especially The Sheriff, Little John periodically broke into prayer. Trigger and the townspeople who were out that morning, followed them.

They stopped at a strong oak tree, prefect for hanging. The Sheriff took another long piece of rope from Trigger and made a noose. Trigger then forced Little John up into the tree, while the buzzard tied the other end of the rope to the strongest branch that he could find. Little John was sitting patiently on the branch below Trigger, waiting to be hung.

The Sheriff sighed, he knew it was wrong to hang on Sunday, but Little John gave him no choice, besides he had pleaded guilty.

"Little John, you plead guilty to the crimes that you have been charged with" The Sheriff began, "Under the grace and divinity of God, it being His Day, do you still find yourself guilty?" The Sheriff wiped a tear from his eye, hoping that Little John would comply if anything to save The Sheriff's reputation, for he did not want to be known as a murderer.

"I do" Little John answered

The Sheriff nodded, "And by the grace of _Your_ King, Richard the First, do you plead guilty?"

Little John took off his hat at the mentioning of King Richard. The Sheriff, in response, did the same.

"Under King Richard I do revoke my plea" Little John answered proudly

The Sheriff slowly put his hat back on his head and gave the signal to Trigger, who violently pushed Little John off of his branch. Little John dangled and trashed about for ten seconds before he was finally still. The Sheriff, to be sure that Little John was dead, took his sword and cut off one of Little John's toes. When Little John did nothing, not even so much as stir, The Sheriff ordered Trigger to cut him down.

The townspeople however, began to protest, "Leave him! Leave him!"

The Sheriff turned around and noticed that arguing with them would be suicide, for their numbers were too great. The Sheriff raised his hand towards Trigger, stopping him in his tracks.

"If the people want him up, then he shall remain up. I'm doing this not for the sake of Robin Hood, who will undoubtedly find the body. I am doing this for the sake of you, the people of Nottingham." The Sheriff opened up his pouch and threw all of the gold he had taken from them that morning in the road. "There is your money" The Sheriff continued, "Enjoy this blessed day."

Trigger shook his head in disbelief, "What!" he cried, "Mr. Wolfe...er...Sheriff...er Thomas sir, what are you doing?"

"I'm doing what anyone would do Trigger" The Sheriff answered, "They have suffered enough today. Tomorrow, I will pay my dues." The Sheriff kept the gold he had taken from the church, he would not return it. This he would keep and give to King John. The Sheriff then made his way down the road towards King John's Castle, his eyes downcast, his head clouded and his heart more confused than it ever had been before.


	3. Chapter 3

Friar Tuck emerged from the dark trees of Sherwood and gazed at Little John's body. He saw that Little John's toe was at the base of the tree; Friar Tuck picked this up, climbed a bit of the tree and put it in Little John's pocket.

"I'm sorry Little John" Friar Tuck whispered as he climbed down, "The Sheriff is going to pay."

"Yes he will!" a voice screamed through the wilderness, "It will be a reckoning so swift, so devious the legions of Hell shall quiver with fear!"

Friar Tuck recognized the voice immediately, that of Robin Hood

"I know Robin" Tuck began, "He was my friend too. But this type of revenge that you're talking about...is madness! You never kill, ever! Those things you leave to King John and The Sheriff, not for the likes of you!"

Robin appeared from the forest, covered in leaves, he looked to be there all day, which meant that he had witnessed the hanging.

"It's Little John, Friar! He saved my life more times than I could count, what kind of friend would I be if I let it go? He must be avenged; he must be put to rest. The Sheriff will die, mark my words, by the sword or by the rope, he will die."

Friar Tuck shook his head, "Why all this violence? Can't we just have peace, like we've always had?"

"Peace!" Robin declared, "We've never had peace! The war may not have come to Nottingham but it surely came to the people when they allowed King John to take their money, hard earned money at that."

Friar Tuck still held his ground, "The Sheriff of Nottingham must stand trail Robin, at least let him live, please I beg you. There's been enough violence today! The Sheriff himself said it!"

"Ha!" Robin exclaimed, "Only to put the people at ease for tomorrow, he said that he will pay his dues Tuck that can only mean one thing. Death, The Sheriff is going to kill, go above the law like he's always done. And worse yet, he'll drag Marion into this. I have seen the way he looks at her, his eyes like firebrands, his paws become softer as if he were a friend, he smile gets whiter and teeth seem to dull."

"So now we're talking about Marion?" Tuck asked, "Focus Robin, you need to deal with this! Now I don't much like that you're fixing to off The Sheriff, I'd much rather see him alive-"

"Why?" Robin asked coldly, cutting Friar off at the same time

"Because believe it or not he's the only order in this town" Friar Tuck answered, "You're nothing but an outlaw. Hell, if it wasn't for me blabbing to Little John in the first place none of this would've happened...I should've let The Sheriff take my money and move on."

Robin shook his head, "People like The Sheriff deserve to die, they are a plight on this world that must be quenched, eliminated and stopped at all costs! He must hang from the rope or from the sword. It makes no difference, I only seek that justice be done for Little John and the people of Nottingham. They deserve better lives than this, oh if King Richard were alive today, he might have a say."

"King Richard is dead?" Tuck asked, a face of horror struck him, as if Little John had been murdered that very second

"Aye" Robin answered, "Our King is dead. Those bloody heathens...A stray arrow hit his heart, dead in seconds. I retaliated; shot as many arrows as I could. I ignored the order to retreat until my arrows were spent and the window of escape was closing. I barely made it out alive, but I would've died a King's Fox. That is all I could ask for, and all I ever wanted."

"What about Maid Marion?" Friar Tuck asked knowingly

Robin sighed longingly at the mentioning of his love, "Oh my love!" Robin said dreamily, "To hold you again, to feel you in ways that I only have felt, to hear your voice alone would make the world dance."

Robin stared at Little John for several seconds after that, his head hung in reverence; his bow shook in the wind, as if it to was mourning Little John. Friar Tuck laughed to himself, remembering something that Little John said to him once.

"I don't know about Death" Friar recited, "But what I do know is that when I die, I would rather hang from a tree in Sherwood than anywhere else in the world. For at least then, I would die in my home. I would be happy and you should be too, for when we all go, we will dance and sing songs of merriment and cheer. The people we've known who have come to pass will walk again and everything will be as it was before...only white."

"I promise you" Robin said to Little John, "I will not rest until one of us, me or The Sheriff, is stone dead."

Robin then walked back to camp to plan, Friar Tuck meanwhile, headed back to his church to retire for bed.

* * *

That evening, The Sheriff of Nottingham was in King John's Castle at one of those fancy parties that noblemen go to for the sake of having a good meal. He was dressed as he was in the morning with the addition of a monocle without glass. The Sheriff looked important, as if he were higher on the social ladder than he actually was. Next to him was Sir Hiss, King John's personal assistant; across from him was Lady Kluck, Maid Marion's assistant, who he understood to be Sir Hiss' girlfriend. Their relationship was questionable, but it seemed to work.

Maid Marion on Lady Kluck's right, she was dressed in a simple pink dress with flowers, for this was a little before the Victorian age and so the ballroom style of dress wasn't as popular.

Marion turned towards The Sheriff, she couldn't help but notice how nice he looked; he was easily the best dressed person in the entire ball, even surpassing King John, not in clothing but in demeanor. The Sheriff had the look of someone who knew exactly what they wanted, was clam, serious and excited at the same time. The Sheriff would give the occasional smile common to wolves and a nod Marion's way, anyone else would say that The Sheriff was flirting, but in The Sheriff's mind, as well as Marion's, this was nothing more than simple play.

"I must say Sheriff" Marion exclaimed, "For a wolf you certainly know how to clean yourself up."

The Sheriff tipped his hat and took a drink of his champagne, courtesy of the King and smiled again.

King John chuckled to himself, "He's a wolf my dear, a creature incapable of modesty, decency. This particular one is completely brainless!"

"Now, now King John" Sir Hiss replied, "The Sheriff of Nottingham has been your loyal subject for years. He's a good friend and a fine lawman and should be treated with the upmost re-"

Hiss was cut off by King John grabbing him by the throat and knocking him on the head.

"It's alright Hiss" The Sheriff answered, "I don't need respect to do my duty..." he leaned in towards Marion and Kluck, "But a little bit wouldn't hurt."

Marion and Kluck smiled, causing The Sheriff to smile, which caused Hiss to smile and King John to sulk, for the one thing he hated above all else was smiling. The Sheriff knew that Marion and Kluck were only smiling in the moment, not out of friendship or sincerity; it was more of a mask, to hide their true feelings of discomfort and boredom.

Eventually the conversation turned to Robin Hood.

"He's a thief and a scoundrel" King John declared, "An outlaw, nothing more and nothing less."

Hiss nodded in partial agreement, "Couldn't agree more sire, but at the very least consider what his death would bring? The people do love him so, why...it would be total anarchy, riots would break out in the street and we'd all be hung up to our necks! Arrest him, if nothing else, but I implore you, do not kill him."

The Sheriff was in agreement with Hiss personally, but publically he sided with King John. "I say let him swing!" he cried, "That Robin Hood has taken more from the people than I have...and that's something that honestly I'm not too proud of."

King John shot The Sheriff a glaring look, to which The Sheriff brushed off and gave his explanation.

"Face it sir, these taxes are too high! No one can pay them, not even me! Lower the taxes, at the very least for the people's sake. The lower the taxes are, the more money they will have, which we will be able to take, as per the taxes go. If the land is rich, so are we."

Maid Marion and Lady Kluck clapped in approval, "Fine words Sheriff" Marion replied, "Very fine words indeed, although not so good for Robin Hood."

After this it was time for the dance, the minstrels in the corner of the room, particularly the fiddle player, struck up a lively tune. The Sheriff took this opportunity to make his move. He stood up, walked over to Marion's side of the table and bowed slightly, Marion responded by standing and doing a slight curtsey. Lady Kluck saw the look in The Sheriff's eye and knew almost immediately what he was going to do. Hiss saw it too and turned to Kluck.

"Do you that he's going to do it? Ask Marion for her hand?"

Kluck nodded, "Did you see that look in his eyes! And the way he's dressed, why he's nicer than the King is and that's a hard thing to beat."

Hiss nodded and walked over to Kluck's side, "Might as well make it official then" Hiss said as he extended his tail to Kluck, who took it without question and made their way over to the table. King John meanwhile, sat at the table and continued to eat.

The Sheriff and Marion were doing a country waltz when The Sheriff, in the middle of his bow, immediately stopped dancing and very quickly, almost without thinking, got down on one knee and presented a ring.

Marion froze in her tracks, she stared at the ring and then at The Sheriff's desperate face, pleading for a response. Marion said nothing and walked away, shedding tears. The whole room for a moment was fixed on the scene, the music stopped, as soon as Marion walked away, the music slowly picked back up again. The Sheriff stood up, fixed his jacket and walked back over to the table.

"Hold it right there!" A voice boomed, "Sheriff of Nottingham you're under arrest!"

The Sheriff turned to face Robin Hood and Justin, a lynx.

"You're supposed to be dead" The Sheriff answered casually, not looking for a fight

"No" Robin Hood exclaimed with a spit, "You're the one who supposed to be dead. You murdered Little John! You think that I was just going to let that go?"

The Sheriff shook his head in disbelief, "If you were here to kill me you would've done it by now."

"What makes you say that?" Robin asked as he drew his sword

"Because criminals always play dirty" The Sheriff answered as he backed away, still holding his ground. Robin interrupted this as cowardice.

"Say's the wolf who's backing away?" Robin replied sarcastically, "Yeah, you're a real lawman aren't you Sheriff?"

The Sheriff growled at this and drew his sword, Justin, in response, lit a torch and threw it The Sheriff's way, who ducked just in time, the torch catching fire to the drapes as it slowly spread about the room.

"No!" King John screamed, "My castle, my castle!" He turned to The Sheriff, "Sheriff of Nottingham, you are hereby sentenced to death, by being killed by Robin Hood. Robin Hood, you are the new Sheriff of Nottingham."

Robin laughed, "So it seems that the tables have turned...I am the lawman..." Robin pointed his sword playfully at The Sheriff, "And you're the outlaw."

The Sheriff, as is customary, threw Robin his badge and belt, which Robin put on without question. "Now that is done" Robin continued, "Are you prepared to die?"

The Sheriff shook his head fearfully and ran towards the nearest window, dodging the arrows shot by Justin and the guards. The Sheriff reached the window and jumped into the moat.

Robin ran across the room and stabbed King John in the chest as he leapt for the window. For extra measure Justin shot an arrow through King John's head, killing him instantly.

"The King is dead!" Robin screamed throughout the room and to all who could hear, "The King is dead!"

The Sheriff swam to the other side of the moat and ran through the darkness of the town. He could hear the people screaming in the ballroom, he couldn't help but feel sorry for them. No doubt that Robin would put them all to the sword, them being nobility. The Sheriff hoped that Robin would have the decency to spare Hiss, for he was perhaps the only sensible one in the court and as a consequence, The Sheriff's only friend besides Trigger. At the moment though, the only thing on The Sheriff's mind, or at least in the forefront, was escaping Nottingham.

A mob soon formed, mostly made of the townspeople, for Robin's screaming had awoken them from their slumber and they were now taking the opportunity to take back what was stolen.

The mob, upon seeing The Sheriff, ran towards him like the fury and power of a tidal wide, The Sheriff narrowly escaped by crossing a wood and rope bridge over a small ravine and then cutting the rope preventing the villagers from following him. At the same time, this also cut off any access to Nottingham for ten miles each way. The Sheriff looked around and saw that he was on the edge of Sherwood, he continued running until he was at its limits. He looked back only once, he could still see the flames of the castle and he could hear the screams as the last nobleman took his final breath on the Earth. Worst of all, he knew that for better or worse, he was an outlaw, forever branded a traitor to the King, Robin would see to that.

The Sheriff of Nottingham died that night, for afterwards no such position existed, with the assassination of King John, Robin Hood had officially ended the monarchy and would begin a tyranny that was even worse than that of King John. As of our wolf, The Sheriff, he forsook his position, no longer calling himself by his title. He would now be known as Thomas Wolfe, all of his papers and records under The Sheriff disappeared from existence, either burned by Robin or destroyed by age.

And so Thomas Wolfe, our hero in this story, set out into the world.


End file.
